Thursday, November 4, 2010

I often have customers ask "When do I trim my Shrubs, Day Lilly, Monkey Grass, etc?" I have a few tips that will hopefully help you out. During the growing season, trimming evergreen shrubs every three to four months to remove the dead or unwanted growth is healthy. You do not want to trim any shrub in the winter, this can cause unwanted damage to your plant. After finishing your trimming always take a leaf rake or your hand and gently remove all the cut foliage off the top of the plant. Doing this will keep your home looking good and unwanted damage at bay.Trimming plants that bloom like Day Lilly's, Crape Myrtles, Azaleas and Roses are a little different. These plants all bloom on the new growth, meaning they will need to be cut back after they bloom. Day Lilly's usually bloom in the spring and summer months (depending on the variety). Once bloomed, they can be cut back, However their foliage is beautiful, so waiting until fall (just before the first frost) cut them back and mulch around them. Crape Myrtles should be cut back in late winter or early spring. To learn more visit my web site http://www.roseslandscapes.com Azaleas should be cut back each time they bloom. Azaleas can be trimed with electric or hand healed sheers. Roses can be pruned or "deadheaded" after each bloom has started withering. This will help promote new blooms during the blooming season. Monkey grass, Pampas Grass or Rooster Grass can be cut back four to six inches from the ground either in late fall or early spring and mulched around. Grasses usually have a beautiful fall color, which some people like. If you do not like the look of grasses in the winter cut them back in late fall. For more information visit my website http://www.roseslandscapes.com

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Spring will be here before you know it. Are you ready? It may seem a bit early to be thinking about your spring planting, mulching, weeding or trimming. Most nursery and landscape company's have already got their spring plants ordered and soon to be on their way. It is good to get an idea of what you are wanting in your flower and shrub beds now, so you can get an early start on the spring plants before they are all sold. First things first, find out what is available and if you are wanting, a seasonal blooming plant (only blooming 2 to 4 weeks), annual (die in the winter and do not come back), perannual (die back in the winter and will come back), bulbs or all season blooming plants (usually lasting through the growing season). There are many types and colors to choose, making it difficult at times to pick the right plant for you, one suggestion is seeking a landscape specialist or local nursery to give you some help, if you have no idea where to start. Some landscape company's offer free estimates, can design a color theme, help you pick the right plant for your beds, can help you to determine what type of soil you have and if you will need a soil aminment. Be sure to clean your beds out before planting any new plants, meaning pulling all the weeds, trimming shrubs if needed, raking any leftover leaves, tilling or prepping the ground for the new plants and picking up any tree branches that have fallen over the winter. Doing this will make your yard look its best in them up coming spring. If you don't have time or the tools to do all yourself, seeking a landscape company may be best choice. If you would like more information seek a landscape professional like Roses Landscapes.

In order for a plant to grow and thrive, it needs many different chemical elements, carbon, hydrogen and oxygen are vital to a plants survival. Sulfur, calcium and magnesium are secondary nutrients plants need to thrive. Plants also need boron, cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, and zinc. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, are three of the most important elements a plant needs and are generally found in most packaged fertilizers. Without nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium a plant can not live. Nitrogen is vital to the Earth and everything in it therefor, nothing can survive without it. Phosphorus is a very important mineral found in most living organisms. To much phosphorus can cause many problems with plants and other living organisms. Phosphorus is used in many other things like when lighting a match, fertilizer for plants and most electronics. Potassium is essential in maintaining proper health for any living organisms. Potassium is highly reactive and usually mixed with other minerals when used. A lack of potassium can cause many sever problems in living organisms, even death, therefor, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are three vital minerals to the Earth and all living organisms in it.

What is Fertilizer ?

The numbers on all fertilizer packages tell you a percentage of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium found in each bag. For example 12-6-12 fertilizer has 12 percent nitrogen 6 percent phosphorus and 12 percent potassium in each bag. These days there are many different types of fertilizers and it is easy to over fertilize, therefor, selecting the right type of fertilizer for your plants can be difficult. Some fertilizers like Osmocote, Miracle Grow or Scotts have been around for years and are trusted by most home owners and nursery growers. Often times the fertilizers are made for the specific type of plants like fruits, vegetables, evergreens, blooming plants and lawns just to name a few. Always seeking a nursery or landscape specialist is a good idea if you are unsure what type of fertilizer to use on your gardens.

So Why Fertilize?

Plant survival is vital to the earth, every living thing feeds off another. As people we eat meat from animals and animals eat plants, insects, pollen and many other things, therefor, we need to do our part to insure plants grow and thrive. By planting new trees when they are cut down, planting vegetables, fruit, shrubs and flowers to give beauty to your home, oxygen to the air and food for our wildlife is another thing we can do to help mother nature.

Do you ever wonder why some subdivisions have a greater home value than others? It is not only the quality of the homes or the location. Well landscaped homes have a higher resale value. When you drive up to a house and see old rotting landscape timbers or over grown plants you are automatically turned off. Landscaping can beautify any home, no matter how big or small and can increase the value of your home. The neater the landscape the higher the value. Landscaping also helps the environment, prevent soil erosion, feeds wildlife and provides oxygen. Many homeowners tend to put their landscaping off until the last minute, which can be understandable. Landscaping can be expensive depending on the area you live in, size of landscape beds you are wanting, plants size and species . Remember, you don’t have to get the most expensive plants, the largest flower beds or even do it all at one time. Some landscapers like myself offer many different options. Let me share a few with you. We offer a stages/phases program. For example if you are wanting the front and back landscape beds done, maybe a few trees, but can’t afford to do it all at the same time, this is where we can do just one at a time to better fit your budget. We also offer a monthly maintenance program. This is where we come once a month every month to pull weeds, trim shrubs when needed, fertilize when needed and deadhead blooming flowers at a reasonable monthly rate. This service is offered in three months and six months programs. If you would like to learn more about these services and many other services we offer go to http://www.roseslandscapes.com